According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 55 percent of the public doesn’t know enough about House Minority Leader John Boehner to form an opinion.

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama may put a dent into new numbers that indicate more than half of all Americans aren't familiar with the top Republican in the House.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday morning, 55 percent of the public doesn't know enough about House Minority Leader John Boehner to form an opinion.

But that high number may go down, thanks to Obama. A few hours after the release of the survey, the president mentioned Boehner's name eight times in a speech on the economy that he delivered in Ohio and was widely covered by the news media.

Boehner, who's been a very vocal critic of Obama, is expected to become speaker of the House if the GOP wins back control of the chamber in November's midterm elections. The Ohio Republican recently gave a high profile speech in his home state slamming White House economic policies.

Washington (CNN) – "America's Toughest Sheriff" Joe Arpaio passed on running for governor earlier this year, but the Arizona lawman who has become a national figure for his tough stand on illegal immigration is not closing the door on a presidential run in 2012.

Arpaio, the controversial sheriff of Maricopa County, heads to the early presidential proving ground of New Hampshire Sunday to headline the Nashua Republican City Committee lunch.

"I am honored by this invitation to speak to the largest local Republican Party organization in the great state of New Hampshire," Arpaio said in a statement. "As a native New Englander, I'm looking forward to visiting this state that historically chooses who our next President will be."

Chad Willems, Arpaio's political adviser, said that the sheriff is "not going back to test the waters," but did acknowledge that "People just don't go to New Hampshire if they are not interested in these things."

(CNN) - While President Obama took a measured tone in referencing his predecessor during the Oval Office address on Iraq last month, Vice President Biden appeared to go considerably further Thursday in his praise of former President Bush.

"I've never known a time when you didn't care about what happened. We disagreed on policy. You deserve a lot of credit, Mr. President," Biden, looking straight into the camera, told Bush during an appearance on The Colbert Report Wednesday night.

President Obama transferred $4.5 million from his 2008 presidential campaign coffers to three Democratic party committees.

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama is making another major investment in his own party.'

The president ordered $4.5 million from the old Obama for America campaign account to be transferred to the Democratic Party, a top party official confirmed to CNN. The funds will be evenly divided among the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The money originally was set aside to cover legal expenses involved in shutting down Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

The CNN 100 takes a look at the top 100 House races, from now until Election Day.

Editor's Note: In the final 100 days before Election Day, CNN has been profiling one race at random each day from among the nation's top 100 House races, which we've dubbed "The CNN 100." Read the full list here. Today's featured district is:

CNN: Obama slams GOP leadership, economic policies
President Obama opened the post-Labor Day stretch of the midterm campaign in the perennial swing state of Ohio on Wednesday, accusing the GOP of pushing bankrupt economic policies and putting politics ahead of national welfare.

CNN: Key Democrats split with Obama on taxes
Despite President Obama's accusation Wednesday that Republicans are holding middle class income tax cuts "hostage" by tying them to an extension of tax cuts for wealthier Americans, the reality is several Democratic senators also oppose allowing President Bush's tax cuts for higher earners to expire.